Belonging
by Galxychld
Summary: Archer comes to a ship's aid and gets more than he bargained for. Changed a couple things, and here's chapter 5 ready to go. Please please read and review!!
1. The Arrival

Author's note: This is my first Enterprise fanfic, so I hope you all enjoy it! Please R&R and let me know what you think! I do have somewhere to go with it. J 

Additional note: For some reason, my first account was deactivated, so I'm re-posting this story under my new account, which has the same name but different email. Enjoy!

Captain Jonathan Archer sat calmly in his chair, watching the stars fly by on the viewfinder. They were swiftly approaching a nebula that T'Pol had reported as currently birthing a new star. He glanced over at his science officer. She returned his look by merely raising an eyebrow. He looked away with a grin. So calmly Vulcan, so icily serious, her mere presence sometimes made Archer want to let out a loud baseball cheer just to see her reaction.

"Captain, our sensors have picked up a ship in distress." T'Pol's voice broke into Archer's thoughts. 

"How far?" he asked.

"Two light-minutes. Do you wish to answer?"

Archer nodded. "Hoshi, please hail them."

"They're responding, Captain. I'll put it on screen."

The screen came to life, showing Archer a human male looking at him worriedly. Behind the man, the bridge was gloomy, with smoke allowing fleeting glimpses of crew moving frantically, occasionally highlighted by sparks from consoles.

"This is Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship _Enterprise_. How may we help you?"

"Captain, thank God you're here! I'm Captain Caleb Kistral, and this is my ship, _Wind Dancer_. Pirates attacked us a few hours ago. Most of our systems are shot, and a lot of the crew is wounded."

"How many in your crew, Captain?"

"Fifty-four, including myself. We don't have any children on board. We-"

He broke off as another man came and whispered frantically to him. Suddenly, a shower of sparks briefly obscured Archer's view. When the smoke cleared, he could see that the people who had been moving were now lying still on the floor. The captain shook his head groggily. He looked back at Archer, blood running from a cut above his left eye, the left side of his face darkened by burns.

"Captain Archer, my engineer tells me that our warp reactor is overloading. We don't have much time. There are three of my people on an escape pod, but we won't have time to get the rest out. Please, I'm asking you to take them in and get them home if you can. Will you?"

Archer hesitated. Not that he was against taking in extra people, but to do so in a split second…He glanced at Captain Kistral, who coughed hard, bringing up blood. Kistral stared back at Archer, pleading with his eyes. Archer nodded. Kistral's face relaxed.

"Thank you, Captain. Thank y-" His words were cut off as another explosion flared across his bridge, and the viewscreen cut out. 

"Captain," Malcolm Reed called, "that ship's ready to blow. I suggest we get out of here."

"Did they jettison an escape pod?" Archer asked. Reed nodded in confirmation. "Then pick it up, and let's get ourselves out of range. Trip," he called out, "get the grappler ready."

In a few moments, _Enterprise_ had a hold of the pod, and Mayweather moved the ship out of range, with not a moment to spare. The next thing Archer knew, the _Wind Dancer_ exploded.

"Polarize the hull plating!" he yelled. An instant later, Enterprise was buffeted by the shock waves of the explosion. However, the hull held, and no one was hurt. Archer waited for his ship to settle, and gesturing to T'Pol to follow him, he headed to the shuttlebay to greet the refugees. 

He found the doctor waiting for them when they reached the shuttlebay. Phlox gave him a brief smile, and the captain nodded then pressed the release button and stepped into the room. He saw one man standing, with cuts all over his face and arms, and Archer could see red marks through the rips in the man's clothing. A second man was down on the floor. He was very still, and his skin was ghastly pale and covered with lacerations. His head was being supported in the lap of a young woman, who, while sporting several small lacerations and a darkening bruise on her cheek, looked in better shape than her companions were. 

"Captain Archer?" the first man inquired. Archer nodded. The man continued. "Alex Green, sir, pleased to meet you. Wish it were under better circumstances. Captain Kistral had enough time to tell us who you were. Did…the ship…?"

"I'm sorry, it exploded. There wasn't anything we could do."

The man clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Archer could see the grief there. "I want to thank you anyway for coming, Captain. At least we managed to get Jacobs here and Kesslyn to safety."

The girl looked up, her wide gray eyes brimming with tears. "Just me, Alex. Nick's heart isn't beating. I think he's dead." 

Green cursed and swiftly bent down to the other man. Archer gestured to the doctor, and Phlox joined Green. After a few moments, he looked up and shook his head.

"Severe trauma to the head, Captain, and his lung was punctured. I believe he died just as he was being taken out of the escape pod."

"Dammit!" Both Archer and Green had spoken simultaneously. Green looked over at Archer. "Nick Jacobs, Captain, he was a good man. He was one of our engineers. He was always real protective of Kesslyn."

At her name, the girl turned to look at them. During Phlox's examination, she had gotten herself up and was standing with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Tears streamed down her face, marking clear tracks through the dust and blood. 

"He was my friend," she whispered. Agony laced through her voice. "And Captain Kistral, and everyone else. All my friends, my only family, my home. All gone. Oh, Alex, what are we going to do? What happens to me now?"

Green caught her against him, sobs wracking her slender form. He stroked the tangled hair, making soothing noises. "Hush, little one, it's going to be all right. You're safe. We'll figure something out."

To Archer, it looked for all the world like a father comforting his daughter. He gestured to Phlox and T'Pol, and they stepped away to confer and to give the two some privacy.

"What do you think?" he asked.

The doctor looked over at the two refugees and made a noise of sympathy. "I need to treat them. Mr. Green has several deep gashes, and the girl needs her cuts cleaned as well. I just wish I could have done more for Mr. Jacobs there."

T'Pol spoke in a low voice. "It is a most unfortunate circumstance, Captain. I believe the doctor is correct, and the two should be treated. But as their ship was attacked, it would be wise to speak with Mr. Green and learn what we can of these pirates, in case they return. I would also like to know what is so important about that girl."

Archer frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Captain Kistral chose to place those three on the first pod. Why that girl? What was her position on the ship? And she did not ask what would happen to _them_, but what would happen to _her_. Furthermore, Mr. Green said that _she_ was safe, not that _they_ were safe." 

Archer glanced over at the pair again. T'Pol might have a point. He instructed Phlox to take the two down to sickbay and let him know when he was done. He gestured to T'Pol, and after explaining to Green what was happening, he and T'Pol left to return to the bridge.

"T'Pol, do you think she's any kind of threat?" Archer asked, nodding to a crewman that they passed. T'Pol shook her head.

"I do not have an opinion as to that, Captain. I merely noted those things and wish to know if they have any significance."

Archer sighed. "I hope you're wrong. Not that I question your instincts," he said hastily, trying to stave off the small frown she gave him, "but they've already lost a ship and many friends. I don't want to learn that there are worse things coming."

With that, they entered the bridge and proceeded to inform his officers about the current situation. They reacted predictably enough. Hoshi was sympathetically sorrowful and hoped for a chance to talk to the pair. Mayweather showed visible anger at the thought of more pirates attacking freight ships. Both Tucker and Reed wanted to talk to Mr. Green as soon as possible, Trip to see what he might need to modify to evade the pirates if necessary, Reed to see what he might need to do to reinforce themselves against attack or to go on the defensive. Archer let them talk it out for a few minutes, but as the din of voices increased, he held up a hand and called out.

"Quiet!"

The bridge crew, startled, immediately fell silent as all eyes turned to Archer.

"I understand that we all feel something about the situation, but nothing's going to get accomplished if we sit around arguing about what we do first! I'm going to wait for Doctor Phlox's report before we proceed with anything. Now, everyone, let's get back to work."

With slightly abashed expressions, the crew turned back to their duties. However, anticipation over the doctor's report caused a hum of tension on the bridge that Archer could clearly feel. He was almost tempted to call Phlox himself, just to break the silence. Just as he was reaching for his communicator, Phlox called for him. The doctor's voice made all of them, with the possible exception of T'Pol, jump. And even she looked a bit startled. Archer saw that Hoshi's jump had carried her further than the rest; more precisely, it had taken her to the floor. He suppressed a smile as she sheepishly climbed back into her seat.

"Archer here. Go ahead."

"Captain, I think you should come down here. And perhaps bring the sub-commander with you."

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm not exactly sure, Captain. That's why I suggest you bring T'Pol."

"I'll be right there, Doctor. Archer out."

He nodded, and T'Pol rose gracefully and followed him. He could feel the eyes of the bridge crew boring into his back as he walked out. He hoped very fervently that it was not something serious. After the encounter with Sulik and the officer from the future, the last thing _Enterprise_ needed was another crisis.

When he reached sickbay, he saw that Phlox was waiting for him outside. Archer noted immediately that it was something of importance, because the normally jovial expression the doctor wore was now slightly worried.

"What is it, Doctor?" Archer asked. "Is something wrong with Mr. Green or Kesslyn?"

"Nothing with Mr. Green, Captain, he has a clean bill of health, apart from the wounds he received. Nothing too serious, he should end up with nothing more than a few faint scars. With Kesslyn, however, the answer is both yes and no. She seems to be perfectly healthy. Her lacerations should heal just fine, and leave no scars. However, it's what the other scans revealed that troubles me, Captain."

"What is it? Is she a carrier of a virus or something?"

"No, Captain. The thing is..well, she would appear to be normal for a human girl her approximate age. Except, Captain, she's not human."

Archer's mouth dropped in astonishment. She wasn't human? But she looked exactly like a human being! He quickly strode into sickbay and saw that Green was talking to Kesslyn in low tones. The girl looked upset. They both glanced up quickly as Archer walked over to them.

"The doctor just told me something very astonishing, Mr. Green, about Kesslyn. Care to confirm what he said?" Archer didn't miss how Green had positioned himself in front of Kesslyn as if to shield her, or the look that passed between the two.

"Kesslyn, kiddo, we've gotta tell him," Green said. "He rescued us, he has a right to know."

Kesslyn stared back at him for a moment. Fear and shock had dilated her eyes until there was just a thin rim of color surrounding her pupils. She bit her lip and slowly nodded. She looked at Archer then, and he was surprised at the fearful wariness he saw in her eyes. Green sighed and then looked up at the captain.

"I'm guessing that the doctor told you Kessa isn't human. We already know that, Captain, but we also know that she's lived her whole life aboard _Wind Dancer_ and has been nothing but a great kid. We know that she's an orphan, and we know that she's very smart. There are only two things we don't know, Captain. We don't know where she's from, and we don't know what she is."


	2. Some Explanations

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of ST:Enterprise, and am making nothing off this, just having fun.

Here's Part II! Sorry it took so long to get up, holidays and all. Please R&R and let me know what you think!

"You…don't know what she is?" Archer was stunned. Being in space was dangerous enough, and these were freighters! They perhaps knew best just what punches the unknown blackness could throw, and they had taken in a very big unknown! "How did you wind up with her, not knowing anything about her?"

"Well, not exactly nothing," Green corrected. He glanced back at Kesslyn, and she closed her eyes resignedly. Taking that as a sign of consent, Green continued. "I think you might want to sit down, Captain. It's kind of a long story."

Archer quickly sat on the bed next to Kesslyn, never taking his eyes off Green's face. Green paused a moment to gather his thoughts, and started.

"In Earth years, Kesslyn's about 17. We've had doctors check her cellular growth, and they say it's very close to human standard, maybe just a bit faster. Of course, only the docs who serve with us actually know where the samples come from. See, we didn't want to make a spectacle of Kesslyn, especially since we didn't get to a doctor until she had been with us almost 8 months, and by then the whole crew was in love with her. She was a very cute baby." He smiled at the memory, and then returned to his story.

"Almost 18 years ago we were traveling through a section of space that had until recently been host to a nasty civil war between two planets. It hadn't even been safe to try and go through until about 2 months before we got there. Going through that place…it was full of space debris, evidence of some pretty ugly battles. And the stories we heard from other traders…God, it gave most of us nightmares. Captain Kistral wasn't captain then; he was the first officer.

"Just a few hours after we left that area of space, we picked up a distress beacon. We were close enough to answer, and we found an escape pod drifting. We tried hailing, but no one answered. We took the pod in." At Archer's look of surprise, Green shook his head. "I know, it was dangerous, but what we'd been hearing was so awful, we had a sort of _need_ to help someone, and that was it. Anyway, when we popped the hatch, an alien staggered out, clutching a little bundle.

"It wasn't until we heard the bundle start to wail that we realized he had a baby. I picked her up and smiled at her, and she immediately stopped crying. She had the biggest eyes I'd ever seen, such a lovely shade of gray. I could see that she wasn't the alien's child; they weren't at all similar in appearance. We got them down to our medical bay, and the alien confirmed that the baby wasn't his. Trinbel, that was his name, said that his ship had come across a slaver ship and fought them. His crew managed to get to some of the wounded, and he himself had promised the baby's mother that he would take care of her, just before the mother died. 

"Trinbel was in pretty bad shape, and not only didn't we have a doctor on board who'd seen any aliens, we didn't even have a doctor. We treated him as best we could, but he died a few hours later. We checked the pod, but we didn't find much more than some clothes and personal effects he had. There was nothing to tell us anything about the baby. So…we kept her. One of our crew came up with Kesslyn, and it seemed to fit, so that's what she became. We got so used to her that it took a new person, a new crewman, to show us what had happened to her." 

Archer looked at Kesslyn. She returned his gaze for just a moment before looking away. Green turned to Phlox and asked him to show them Kesslyn's skeletal scans, the ones of her skull first.

"We got a new doctor when Kessa was a little less than a year old, as best we could figure. The first thing he said was that she was a beautiful baby, and which one of ours she was. That surprised us, because when she first arrived, she was distinctly not a human baby. Then we took a good look at her, and realized that she looked very human. We had to tell the doc her story, and he did some scans on her, and found this." He pointed to some indentations in the scan, on certain areas of Kesslyn's skull. Archer looked at the scans, then back at Kesslyn. There was no evidence of them on her face. He looked back at Green, who continued.

"We had to check on a picture we took of her when she first came to us. We saw the ridges on her face in the picture pretty clearly, as well as the fact that her skin had been more silvery and her ears much larger. Those things had gone away so gradually that we hadn't noticed. We didn't know why then, and still don't. We figured that perhaps her species had some sort of adaptation skill." He pointed to other areas on the scan, showing other bone indentation not visible on her. "There were these, too, and our doc found some pigmentation cells that were dormant in her. That didn't matter to us. She was ours, and we would take care of her. We did search, but found nothing about any people like her. When the first captain was killed, Captain Kistral took over. Kesslyn's been a member of the crew since she was small. Captain, please, we need to know. What do you want to do with us?" 

Archer glanced over at T'Pol, then at Phlox. He gestured to them, and they moved over to a corner of sickbay.

"What do you think?" Archer asked.

Phlox glanced over at the two refugees, then back at Archer. He smiled. "She is a fascinating case, Captain. Someone that looks like a human being, but isn't, and didn't look that way at birth. I think it would be wonderful to add to our knowledge of other races. Besides, it looks like they are in need of our help, very badly. And they seem to be good people."

Archer turned to T'Pol. "Your opinion?"

She also looked at the two, but when she turned back, she wasn't smiling. "While I agree that they need help, Captain, I must also point out that they bring a danger to us. We still haven't been told why those pirated were chasing them. In addition, the girl's origins must be investigated. What do you tell the crew about her?"

Archer shook his head. "I understand your concerns, T'Pol, I do. But like Phlox said, they need our help. Let's talk to Mr. Green about these pirates, and after that…we'll figure out what to do about Kesslyn. For now, we keep what she really is to ourselves. Doctor, is Mr. Green able to be briefed?"

"I believe so, Captain. What do you want me to do with the girl?"

"Let's get Hoshi down here to talk to her. It might be good for Kesslyn to talk to someone closer to her age. Just warn her not to tell Hoshi what she really is. T'Pol, could you get the senior staff to a briefing room? I'll bring Mr. Green down shortly."

T'Pol nodded and left. Phlox went over to Kesslyn and spoke quietly to her. A few minutes later, Hoshi came and took Kesslyn to a quiet area and began to speak to her. With a reassuring nod to her, Green left with Archer. They walked in silence to the briefing room. Archer paused in front of the doors.

"Are you ready, Mr. Green?"

"As I'll ever be, Captain. I want to make damn sure that what happened to us won't happen to you." With that, Green squared his shoulders and stepped into the room. Archer followed. His senior officers, plus Ensign Mayweather, were sitting around the table. He allowed Green to sit, then took a seat.

Green took a deep breath and began. "First, I want to thank you all for your coming to help us. Captain Archer wants me to tell you about the ship that attacked us. I want to give you every detail I can, 'cause if they come back, we need to be ready. The first thing you need to know about them is that they have shields like nothing I've seen before. The only reason they ran away was that we got a lucky hit, and had a lot more firepower than I think they expected. Second, I don't think they were really pirates. I think they just wanted to destroy our ship, and if they come back, I think they might want to do the same thing to yours."


	3. Reasons Why

At that, a low murmuring swept through the room. Green allowed the crew a few moments to talk amongst themselves about what he had said, then he held up his hand. Silence fell as every eye turned to him. Tucker voices the question that was on all their minds.

"What makes you so sure that they weren't pirates? I mean, they coulda been just really mean pirates, the pick-up-the-pieces kind of guys that are more scavengers than anything."

Green shook his head. "No, what they shot at us wasn't meant to disable or stop; it was meant to destroy. I guess that they could've come in afterwards and picked through what was left, but soon as they saw us, they armed. After we said where we'd been, the firing started. Near as I can figure, we'd either just gone someplace they were upset about, or they thought we'd picked something up from where we'd been."

As Green continued detailing the attack and the capabilities of the ship that had fired on the _Wind Dancer_, Archer took a look around the room to see how his officers were taking it. They were all intently focusing on Green, but Archer could see that Mayweather was more intense than the others were. He made a mental note to talk to Travis and make sure that he understood that it was vital to keep his emotions in check. Just then, he saw T'Pol's eyes go wide, and she threw him a quick glance. Archer looked over at the head of the table and saw that Green had used the computer to help him create a detailed depiction of the pirate ship. 

It was a sinister looking thing, full of sharp lines and angles, dark in color and menacing in shape. It was bristling with weaponry, and looked fast. Archer could almost feel the hostility radiating off the picture. T'Pol's reaction interested him. For a Vulcan, the widened eyes and the swift look were as telling as a loud gasp would have been from a human, if one was aware of it. He saw that Tucker had also noticed T'Pol's reaction, which didn't surprise Archer at all. Trip's efforts to cultivate a friendship with T'Pol made him very aware of everything she did.

Archer raised his eyebrows and T'Pol took it as a signal to proceed. She quietly interrupted Green's speech with a simple sentence that brought everyone's head whipping around to her: "I know that ship."

Taking in everyone's stares and the utter silence her statement had brought, T'Pol continued. "I personally have not encountered a ship of that type, but my people have reported incidents involving them. They are not pirate ships. They are mercenary ships, and they are always sent to kill. Someone sent that ship out on a mission, and if, as you said, the ship did not fire on you until it learned where you had been, then it is involved in something from that area of space."

Green's eyes narrowed. "Then that ship might have something to do with Kesslyn. You see, the area of space we'd passed through was once home to a colony from the losing planet in the civil war that brought Kesslyn to us. If that ship was attacking us because we'd been through there, they probably think we either helped someone or picked up something they want."

"Did you?" asked Archer.

"No. It's a pretty devastated area of space. We went through as fast as possible. But Captain, I'd really like to know what it is about that place that makes it a target. And if it helps me figure out some more of Kesslyn's past, I have to track it down. Besides, I owe it to Captain Kistral and the rest of our crew to hold their killers responsible," he finished, with an angry sheen in his eyes. 

With that, the meeting was pretty much over. Reed drew Green over to a corner to discuss what he remembered about the ship's weapons. T'Pol, having some knowledge of the ships, joined them. Tucker took a copy of the picture Green had outlines, and, along with Green's observations of the ship's movements, went to see if he could modify Enterprise's controls to deal with the swift mercenary ship.

Archer saw that his crew had things in hand, so he went down to sickbay to see how Hoshi was dealing with Kesslyn. The young linguist looked up as he entered. He noticed that she was by herself; Kesslyn was huddled against the far wall, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. He gestured to Hoshi, and she got up and walked over to him.

"What did she say?" he asked her.

She frowned. "Not much. She told me a little about her ship, but as soon as I asked about the attack, she stopped talking. I asked her again, but when she started crying, I thought it best to stop."

"Did she say anything that's helpful to us?"

"She was able to remember the exact sector of space they passed through before the ship attacked. She said she'd been learning to navigate the ship. Oh, and I got the feeling that her place on her ship was more than just an assignment; it defined who she was."

"Why do you say that?"  
"Just a hunch, Captain, but she didn't mention anything without connecting it to her position on the ship. Besides, it makes sense. She told me that she wasn't human, and that she doesn't know what she is. That would make anything that gave her an anchor, anything that gave her a place in the world, even more important."

Archer nodded. "Good work, Hoshi. I appreciate it. You can go back to your station now."

She walked to the door, then paused and turned to look at the captain. "Sir, I think _you_ might have some success talking to her. When she was talking about her ship, she mentioned her captain and her friends Nick and Alex as being closest to her. I think she would feel more comfortable talking to a man, and with you being the captain, she might even feel more secure in talking to you."

With that, Hoshi left sickbay. Archer contemplated her words as he looked at Kesslyn. Finally, he walked over to her. It couldn't hurt to see if Hoshi's theory was right. He sat himself down on the floor close to Kesslyn, but with enough distance to allow her a small section of personal space. After a few moments of silence, she lifted her head and stared at him. Archer was struck by her eyes. He'd never been close enough to really look at them before. He remembered Green saying that his first glimpse of Kesslyn's eyes had captured him, and he could see how that was possible. Her eyes were large and wide-spaced, fringed with long, thick black lashes, and the color was extraordinary. Sea-gray, with a narrow black ring circling the iris, they were beautiful. And so full of pain and sorrow that Archer felt his own heart ache for her.

"We weren't formally introduced," he began. "Captain Jonathan Archer, at your service." She was silent. "I'm so sorry about your ship, but I am glad that we were able to help you and Mr. Green."

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why what?"

"Why did you help us? You saw the area, the damage to the ship. You must've known the possibility that it would explode. Why risk it?"

Archer was a little surprised. Had she expected that another ship would simply leave them when they were clearly in distress? "Your ship was in trouble, and we were there. We were able to help. We _wanted_ to help. We're Starfleet officers, and that means we don't just leave a ship if we can do something to help."

"You should have left us alone. You only saved two of us. Everyone else died, my friends, my _family_ died! I would rather have died with them than be alive and alone."

"Would you have made the same choice for Mr. Green? Have him die too?"

She shook her head. "No," she whispered brokenly. "I don't want him to die. I just wish Captain Kistral had put Alex and Nick on that pod by themselves, and left me alone. Alex is human, Captain. He has family back on Earth. He'll be fine. Me, I only had a place on the _Wind Dancer_. I should've been on her when-"

"No," Archer interrupted. "Never wish yourself dead. It was a horrible thing to happen, but you survived."

"You don't understand," she replied, turning away from him. He could hear the tears in her voice. "You don't understand at all."

"What don't I understand? Kesslyn, please, talk to me. I just want to help. Your ship was attacked and destroyed, and that's a tragedy. But obviously your Captain Kistral cared enough about you to want to see you safe-"

"But it was my fault!" she cried, turning to face him. Archer was startled to see that tears were streaming down her face, her hands clenched into fists. "It was my fault the ship was in that area of space at all. I caused this, me, it was my fault!"

Archer gripped her shoulders warmly, reassuringly. "What do you mean, it was your fault? How could that ship attacking you be your fault?"

She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "Captain Kistral thought I should try to get into Starfleet Academy. He said I was smart enough and knew enough about space. But they do checks, and I know nothing about my past, my people. He told me that we were going to go back to an area near where they'd found me, to try and get some answers. He told me not to tell anyone, that it was going to be a surprise. H-he wanted to be able to t-tell them that I was going to apply to Starfleet, that their little orphan was g-going to be a success." By now she was crying freely, shaking, and Archer struggled to hear her words through the sobs. "Th-they didn't even know why they d-died! My fault, m-my f-fault…" 

Archer gently drew her to him, letting his uniform soak up her tears as she cried. He made soothing noises and softly stroked her dark hair. God, what a burden she'd been carrying! He knew that it wasn't her fault, that none of them could have known anything about the ship, but he knew that in her mind, she was to blame. He wasn't sure how he could convince her of that, though. So he just sat and held her until her sobs eased off into sniffling and irregular, hitching breaths.

He saw Phlox coming towards them with a concerned look on his face. Archer waved him off, and Phlox nodded and turned away to other work. Archer carefully pulled Kesslyn away from him and looked into her face. It was red and puffy, tear-streaked, and her eyes still held so much sorrow, but Archer could see that the crying had allowed her to release some of her pain. He remembered the word for it: _catharsis_. The pain could have been destructive if it had built up more. He didn't know if he could say anything of comfort, but he decided to just go ahead and talk to her, a straight-ahead approach that seemed to work for him.

He tipped her chin up to make her look at him. "Kesslyn, I want you to listen to me, and I mean really listen. _It wasn't your fault_. I know, I know," he said, holding his hand up to stop her from protesting, "you think you were the cause. But let me ask you some questions. Did any of you have any idea that there were ships like that out there? Did your ship or crew disturb anything in the area of space you passed through?"

When she shook her head, Archer continued. "Now this is the important one, Kesslyn. Is it possible that you might have gone through that area anyway, to either trade to a nearby area or as a shortcut to another trading post?"

"Yes," she whispered, after a few moments of consideration. "It was a little out of the way, but it was along the route to our next stop. Captain Kistral said we were near, so we might as well try to find information. But don't you see, if he hadn't wanted to do that for me, we wouldn't have gone through then and-"

"And you might have gone through at a later time, and still encountered that ship," Archer interrupted gently. "T'Pol, my first officer, says that ships like that are sent out on killing missions, which means that they probably patrol. What if your ship had taken a short cut on your way back from your trading, and had been hit? Would you blame your captain then?" She shook her head. "Then why are you blaming yourself? Your captain wouldn't have wanted that, or your friends. I think they'd be glad you survived. They accepted that space holds a lot of danger, and I don't think they'd be angry that you wanted to find out more about who you are."

"We wouldn't be angry, Kesslyn, none of us," a voice said from the entrance. Kesslyn gave a little cry as she and Archer looked over to see Alex Green in the doorway. They hadn't even heard the door open. Green quickly walked over to them and knelt in front of Kesslyn, taking her hands in his. He nodded and thanked Archer, who rose and stepped away. 

"Kesslyn, I knew about Captain Kistral's idea, and so did Nick and a couple of others. We just didn't want to tell everyone." He watched as her eyes widened, and she gazed at him in surprise. He smiled a little and gave her a little shake. "All of your best friends knew, Kessa. We wanted to do something nice. Now listen to me, and listen good. Never, ever, blame yourself for what happened. That ship came out of nowhere. It was them, Kessa, not you. Them. And they're not getting away with it, OK? Do you understand?"

Her eyes searched his own, and she nodded and flung herself into his embrace. He kissed her hair softly as a few more tears leaked out from under her eyes. He gestured to Phlox to come over, and with Kesslyn's agreement, Phlox administered a sedative to allow her to sleep and heal her body and mind.

Archer accompanied Green out the door, but was halted by Green's hand on his arm. "Captain, thank you. Thank you for being there for her. She's as close to a little sister as I've ever had, and I appreciate what you did for her."

"No need for thanks, Mr. Green. She shouldn't have had to carry that inside her. I just hope we can help both of you."

Green nodded. "With your permission, Captain, I want to find out what I can about who might've sent that ship out. I owe it to Kesslyn; more than that, I owe it to the crew of the _Wind Dancer_. They deserved much better, Captain, and I intend to make sure that whoever did this will not get away with it." His eyes turned hard and cold at the last statement, and Archer, understanding the man's anger all too clearly, nodded his assent.


	4. Mercenaries

Sorry it took so long to get this updated! Too much stuff happening at home. So, this takes place in no specific time frame, though I think it is after the episode where Cutler tells Phlox she likes him.

**** __

Two days later…

Archer stared at the viewscreen as the stars flew past. The bridge was quiet, with a nervous tension permeating through the air. The night before, T'Pol, working with Green and Tucker, had pinpointed the area of space where they thought the mercenary ship had come from. T'Pol had researched not only their standard Vulcan database, but also her own personal database, to find more information about the mercenaries and the capabilities of their ships. It was not happy news. The ships were fast, light, and carried an impressive array of weapons. The only weakness they seemed to have was in the light armor they carried. They sacrificed some protection for more weapon placement, but their attacks usually came so suddenly and decisively that the lack of armor was not an issue.

Archer had put Tucker to work modifying their sensor array to detect the ships earlier than normal. Reed was lending a hand in refining their weapons systems, as well as strengthening the polarization shielding of the hull. They would arrive in the sector of space T'Pol had found in less than five hours. 

He shifted restlessly as his thought turned back to their two new arrivals. Green had spent most of his time in working with Reed and Tucker in preparing the ship, as well as relating details of their flight and the impressions he had to Archer. That left Kesslyn with little to do. After she had woken up from the sedation, with her state of being considerably calmed, if not altogether whole, she had spent an entire morning with Phlox. He had taken a considerable amount of scans, and well as a DNA sample, before pronouncing Kesslyn perfectly fine. He had then happily shut himself up in sickbay to add Kesslyn's medical information to the database.

Lieutenant Cutler and Hoshi had taken charge of Kesslyn then. They had given her the complete tour of the ship. The first few places they showed her had sparked little interest, and they had to practically drag her into each area. However, by the next morning, she had displayed much more interest in her surroundings, and even though her eyes would occasionally cloud in pain and sorrow as the past events intruded, her two guides wisely chose not to push her about it. She had shown a distinct aptitude for engineering; when Tucker had commented that Kesslyn had asked thoughtful and intelligent questions about the ship's systems, Archer remembered that Green had said she had been learning about the ship, and Hoshi had told him that Kesslyn had been learning to navigate her ship. 

He knew she had made a favorable impression on the crew; several of them had caught him in the halls and commented on Kesslyn's polite manner and intelligent words. Archer wondered briefly if Green and Kesslyn would want to stay on _Enterprise_ a while longer, or go to Earth immediately. He rather hoped they would stay a while. Green had a lot of experience that might help the _Enterprise_ crew when meeting new societies, and Kesslyn's smiles, though brief, always brought answering smiles from the crew.

His thoughts were abruptly broken off as the door hissed open behind him. Hoshi was leading Kesslyn into the bridge. She glanced at Archer, and he nodded. She then led Kesslyn over to her own station and began to explain her work. Just as Hoshi brought Kesslyn over to T'Pol's workstation, a low beeping filled the bridge. Everyone immediately turned his or her attention to Tucker's station. He looked down at his console, then up at Archer with a worried look.

"I set up our sensors to be extra sensitive, Captain. The first sign of any of those mercenary ships and we know about it. We might not be at T'Pol's coordinates yet, but we've definitely got company of the bad kind."

"Put it on screen," Archer ordered.

Tucker pressed a button, and the image of a bristling black ship filled the viewscreen. Archer heard his crew murmur, but cutting above them was Kesslyn's sharp gasp. Archer turned to see that she was gripping the railing in front of her so tightly that her knuckles were white, and her face had drained of all color. Her horrified gaze was fixed on the enemy ship.

"It's them," she whispered. "It's them, they've found us, they're here, they're here…" Her voice rose in pitch as her eyes opened impossibly wide in fear. Archer quickly moved to her and grasped her shoulders.

"Kesslyn, look at me. Look at me," he repeated, giving her a gentle shake. This broke her stare, and she turned her gaze towards him. "It's OK, they're still far away, and we've been preparing for them. We won't let them do to us what they did to your ship. OK? Do you understand?"

She nodded wordlessly, and Archer asked Hoshi to take her to his ready room and call for Green. He turned back to Kesslyn and one hand gently stroked her hair. She seemed to take strength from his gesture, and she nodded and followed Hoshi. Once she had been taken to the ready room, Archer took his seat again and stared at the image on the screen. So this was the kind of ship that had ruthlessly, fatally attacked the _Wind Dancer_. 

"Think you're fancy with all those weapons, do you?" he muttered to the ship. "Well, hold on to something, because we're about to get some answers out of you."

He instructed Mayweather to hold position, and for Reed to have weapons ready just in case. He told Hoshi to try and hail the ship. No luck. The ship steadily advanced until it was just a few hundred kilometers away, then it paused, almost as if it were examining _Enterprise_. Suddenly, without warning, weapon fire blossomed from the front of the black ship.

Archer had been expecting this, however, and his crew followed as they had planned. Mayweather quickly turned the ship, and Reed brought the weapons on line. They shot across the bow of the ship, but all that accomplished was to make the mercenary vessel fire back even harder. Reed placed a photon torpedo into the enemy ship's warp nacelles, and, seeming to realize the danger it was in, turned and limped away at impulse speed. Archer, however, wasn't about to let them get away. _Enterprise_ followed the damaged ship and again hailed them, this time with a demand to stop before _Enterprise_ was forced to fire again.

The ship ignored their demands and increased their speed. Archer instructed Mayweather to follow, and they chased the mercenary vessel for several minutes, occasionally pausing to exchange weapons fire. Suddenly the black ship stopped in its tracks and turned to face Enterprise. Archer immediately called for a stop. He was suspicious of the other ship's sudden bravery, and a wave of uneasiness filled him. 

"Travis, take us a few hundred kilometers away. I don't like the look or feel of the situation."

No sooner had Archer spoken than the mercenaries let loose a lethal-looking bolt of light from their ship. _Enterprise_ rocked with the impact. Archer called for a report, and was relieved when Reed told him that the hull had only suffered minor damage due to the modifications he and Green had made to the polarized shielding. 

However, his relief was short-lived as the reason for the mercenary ship's offensive moments became clear. From behind a cluster of small asteroids, four more ships advanced. Three were exactly like the first, but the third was larger, with even more weapons attached to it. For a moment, the mercenary ships and _Enterprise_ faced each other in silence, motionless. Then the fighting began.

The three smaller ships flew around _Enterprise_ in a dizzying, criss-crossing pattern, their weapons tracing lines of fire around and across _Enterprise_'s hull. Mayweather was displaying his best moves as he struggled to keep the ship out of the line of fire, as well as maneuver around to fire back. Reed's steady hand kept the mercenaries back as _Enterprise_ returned fire. He waited for a moment, and then his perfectly aimed torpedo resulted in a blossoming ball of fire that had been the original ship they had trailed. 

The larger ship then began to open fire. Its weapons were more numerous and stronger than the smaller ships', and Archer began to feel the jarring as _Enterprise_ took hits. The bridge was a cacophony of sound.

"Power down in Corridor 12!" 

"Five injured on level 16, sir!"

"Hull breach on decks 7 and 9!"

"Fire in Engineering!"

Archer listened to the reports and seethed inside, watching the attacking ships even as sparks flew throughout the bridge and smoke started to fill the air. He wasn't going to let them get away with this.

"Malcolm, I want you to aim for their port nacelle, and when they turn again, shoot it."

"Sir?"

"They're too close to that asteroid, Malcolm. If you take out that port nacelle, the unbalance and inertia just might throw them right into it."

"Got it, sir. Torpedo ready. And…firing!"

With that, a deadly ball of fire streaked from _Enterprise_ and hit the large ship's port nacelle dead on. The ship was unbalanced, and as Archer had hoped, it swung directly into the path of the asteroid. The explosion caused _Enterprise_ to shudder as the shock wave washed over it. Archer allowed himself to feel a moment of satisfaction, but that quickly faded as he realized that they were still left with three more ships, and _Enterprise _was more damaged than they were. 

He told Mayweather to swing the ship around to face the three marauders, and told Reed to prepare what torpedoes they had left. He was preparing to fire when a line of fire came from beyond the ship and destroyed the nearest mercenary ship. Another shot took out the engines of the second mercenary and sent it spinning to follow the fate of its larger companion, right into an asteroid. The third ship quickly took off, and _Enterprise_ turned to face the newcomer. A beeping sound came from Hoshi's station.

"Sir, they're hailing us," she told him. He noticed that, while dusty and sporting a darkening bruise on her cheekbone, she was still at her post and in control. He nodded to her. 

"Let's see what they have to say. Onscreen."

****

TBC…

So who are these newcomers? Don't worry, I will be much faster in updating than before!! Please read and review, thanks!


	5. The Dyrallians

****

Ch. 5: The Dyrallians

A face filled the viewscreen, and Archer narrowed his eyes. He knew he'd never seen this species before, but there was something familiar about the man he was looking at. The alien's skin had a silvery sheen to it, and the large eyes were deeply blue. His dark hair was cropped short, and Archer could clearly see the large but delicate ears and the thin ridges that ran along his cheekbones, across his forehead, and extended into his hair at the temples. 

"I am Sorin Kelek, captain of the _Starsweeper_. On behalf of the Dyrallian people, I thank you for what you did."

"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer of the starship _Enterprise_. I'm glad we were able to help. I'm guessing that those ships have been bothering this area?"

Kelek sighed. "Yes, Captain. I am not sure if you are aware, but our people have recently ended a very long civil war between Dyrallia Prime and our colony on Dyrallis. Some of the more disgruntled on the losing side pooled resources and hired those mercenaries to attack the winning side, and to drive away those who might help us. We've lost a lot of people because of them, Captain."

Archer's brow furrowed, then his expression cleared and he leaned forward slightly in his seat. "Tell, me, Captain Kelek, did your civil war end about 18 years ago?"

Kelek's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Yes! The colony formally surrendered on Dyrallia Prime just a little over 18 years ago. But how did you know, Captain?"

"A ship that was run by some of my people was very recently destroyed by attacks from those mercenaries. One of the survivors mentioned passing through this area of space about 18 years ago, and that it had only just ended a very long civil war."

Kelek shook his head. "I'm sorry that those accursed ships caused the destruction of one of your vessels. I, and some of my fellow captains, have been trying to get the council on Dyrallia to approve measures that would allow us greater leeway in dealing with this threat. However, the ships have attacked so quickly that very little record of them is left." His face then brightened a bit. "Would you happen to have the destruction of that ship on record? I'm sorry if that sounds cold, but we have so little visual confirmations…"

"No, that's perfectly understandable," Archer replied. "In fact, we also have this latest attack on record, if that would help."

"Immeasurably, Captain. Thank you."

T'Pol came over and stood by Archer. He noticed that she was staring intently at Kelek, and she turned towards him and arched her eyebrows. He turned to the viewscreen and asked Kelek to wait for a moment.

"T'Pol, is there something about Kelek that you'd like me to know about?"

"Just this, Captain. I believe that this person matches the description Mr. Green gave about what Kesslyn looked like when she was found. It is possible that these Dyrallians are her people."

Archer turned back towards the viewscreen and scrutinized Kelek. Silvery skin, large ears, facial ridges...yes, that was the familiarity he had felt. Green's description of Kesslyn's baby features had stuck in his mind, and he saw them now on the alien he had been speaking to. He gestured to Hoshi to resume transmission.

"Captain Kelek," he began, "I was wondering if you'd like to come aboard Enterprise. We could brief you more fully about what we saw with those mercenary ships, and there's someone here I think would like to meet you."

Kelek thought for a moment, then said, "I would be happy to, Captain. It's not that often we get to see vessels other than our own. I'll bring my shuttlepod over in, say, an hour?"

Archer nodded. "Sounds good. I'll see you then. And Captain Kelek? Thanks for the help."

Kelek nodded and signed off. Archer turned to T'Pol and said, "Would you please go and get Kesslyn? I want to talk to her about this Kelek, and about your theories. We'll take her down to Sickbay so we can have Phlox clear up anything we don't have details on. Plus, we can check on any injured crewmen."

She nodded, and went to get Kesslyn. The three of them headed for Sickbay. Halfway there, Lieutenant Cutler came running up to them. She skidded to a stop and faced Archer, panting. 

"Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Captain, it's Mr. Green. He was down in Engineering when the marauders hit. He pulled one of the crew out of the way when the console exploded and caught on fire, but he was hurt badly. Doctor Phlox wants you and Kesslyn down there as soon as possible."

Archer looked at Kesslyn in time to watch every bit of color drain out of her face, her eyes going wide and panicked. He grabbed her hand as they sped to Sickbay.

The doors hissed open, and Kesslyn rushed inside. She spotted Green immediately, and started to run over to him. Phlox caught her just before she reached him.

"Let me go!" she cried, twisting in his grasp. "I want to see Alex…they said he was hurt…let me go!"

"Kesslyn!" The doctor forced her to look at him, even as she struggled against his tight grip. "Kesslyn, he is hurt. He's hurt very, very badly. He protected that crewman from the explosion, and the fire rushed over him. He cut and burned. Kesslyn, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

She sagged in his arms then, shaking her head in denial. "No, no, please, not Alex. Not him. I need him; he's the last of my family. Please, Doctor…please. Do something… anything. _Please_!" The tears that started to fall down her face accentuated her pleading words. Phlox could do nothing more than shake his head. She bit back a sob, then asked to be taken to Green.

She reached his side, and gasped at his appearance. A medical blanket covered much of him, but what could be seen of him was bloody and burned. She gently reached over and touched his cheek, one of the few areas on him left undamaged. 

"Alex? Alex, it's me, Kessa. I wanted to see if you'd like to take a walk in hydroponics today. All the plants are blooming."

He opened his eyes and focused on her face. He produced a weak little smile, and coughed. "I'd love to, Kessa, but I don't think I can right now. I'm feeling kind of weak." His voice was a raspy whisper, and Kesslyn's face crumpled a bit at the sound. 

"That's OK, maybe later." Her tiny smile disappeared as Green began to cough, and blood dribbled out of his mouth. "Alex, please. Please fight. Please don't leave me. You're all I have."

He gasped, trying to take in air to his torn, burned lungs. "I want to, Kessa, but I'm so tired. Captain?" he called, raising his voice fractionally. Archer came over and looked down at him.

"Mr. Green, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be sorry," Green said, cutting him off. "I need to do something for me. I need you to promise me that you'll take care of Kesslyn. No matter what happens, I need to know that she'll have a place where she's loved and cared for. Can you do that for me, sir?"

Archer nodded. "I'd be happy to, Mr. Green. It was a pleasure knowing you."

Green's eyes shifted back to Kesslyn, and he raised his unblistered hand to touch her face. "Be brave, Kessa girl. It'll be OK. I want you to remember all the good things, OK? I want…you to live, and be happy. I love you, sweetheart, always…and always." His eyes lost focus, and he dropped his hand. Closing his eyes, he let out one tiny sigh and was gone.

"Alex?" Kesslyn whispered, her voice trembling. "Alex, no, Alex, please, please. Please don't go. Wake up, Alex, wake up! Alex, _please_!" She drew in a great ragged breath. "Alex, I love you. Alex…" Her voice trailed off as she began weeping, her body shaking with the force of her tears. She held Green's hand to her and laid her head on his chest, crying for the loss of the last link to her family. 

Archer turned away, giving Kesslyn a private moment to grieve. His own eyes smarted. Green had been a good person, and in the short time he had known him, Archer had begun to regard him as a friend. It was not fair that he'd had to die that way, and doubly unfair that Kesslyn had lost her friends, her family, and her world in such a short time. He tried to move Kesslyn away, but she began to fight him, hitting and screaming through her tears. Phlox stepped in and gave her a sedative, and she abruptly slumped into Archer's arms. He lifted her up and laid her on one of the unoccupied beds. He gently smoothed her hair from her face and stared down into her tear-ravaged face. He walked around Sickbay to check on each of the injured crew, then returned to Kesslyn's bedside and watched her sleep. He jumped as T'Pol touched his arm.

"I am sorry to disturb you, Captain, but Captain Kelek will be arriving in approximately 20 minutes. Perhaps you would like to clean up a bit?"

Archer was startled. He was not aware that such a length of time had passed. "Thanks, T'Pol. If you don't mind waiting in the shuttlebay, I'll be there as soon as I get cleaned up."

"I will go there directly," she replied. As he turned to go, she spoke again. "I am sorry for the loss of Mr. Green, Captain. He was a good man."

Archer looked back at her, somewhat surprised by her sentiment. "Yes, he was, T'Pol. Thank you." He then walked out of Sickbay and went to his quarters.

A short time later, he waited next to T'Pol as Captain Kelek exited his shuttlepod and walked onto Enterprise.

"Captain Kelek, it's a pleasure to have you here," Archer said, stepping forward to greet him. "If you would come this way, we can speak in my ready room."

Kelek inclined his head. "Thank you for the welcome, Captain, and in advance for the information concerning these mercenaries. We have lost many of our ships and those of other species to their attacks."

Once in the ready room, joined by Tucker and Phlox, Archer sat down across from Kelek and slid a small data chip across the table. 

"That's the information we have on the ships, including the recent attack and what information we have from a previous attack. I hope it will help."

Kelek took the chip and tucked it into his shirt. "I'm sure it will, Captain. Perhaps now we can convince those waffling politicians that we need a bigger military presence out here to get those mercenaries."

"Captain Kelek, I do have one rather, well, odd question to ask you," said Archer. Kelek inclined his head to allow Archer to proceed, and he did. "I was wondering if your people have some sort of, well, camouflage capabilities. I don't mean any of your equipment, but your people, actually. Is it possible for you to change your appearance?"

Kelek looked taken aback by Archer's question. "Actually, yes, we do. If I may ask, Captain, how is it that you have that particular bit of information? It's not something that is well known outside of our people, and for good reason. The fact that we can alter our appearances is not something we want everyone to know."

"I told you about that ship that was attacked earlier, the one who had been through here about 18 years ago. Well, it seems that they picked up a passenger, a child. Our doctor noticed that there was an abundance of pigmentation cells in her skin, and the people who raised her noticed that she appeared different than when they had first rescued her."

Kelek nodded. "It comes from our ancestors. In past millennia, our planet was overrun with carnivorous predators. Our ancestors found that the best way to keep safe was to blend in, and as time passed, that trait became more refined. We can consciously control the alteration of our pigmentation and slight reshaping of the face. We call it _leshay_, which means 'the hiding.' Don't get me wrong, Captain, it's not that we could look exactly like another person. Our facial features remain fairly steady, but we could look like another of the species. Here. Let me show you."

With that, an amazing transformation began to occur. In the space of a few seconds, Archer watched Kelek's silvery skin change color, his ears shrink, and the facial ridges seemingly melt into his face. He found himself, to his amazement, looking at someone that he would never have been able to tell wasn't another human being. 

"As you can see, Captain, it's a very intriguing and useful trick, but it's used more for defense than for any sort of attacks. Now, may I see this girl that your this other ship rescued?"

With that, Archer got up and led Kelek out. Trailed by T'Pol and Tucker, he and Kelek walked over to Sickbay. Once inside, Archer walked over to Kesslyn, who was still sleeping off the effects of the sedative. Kelek joined him, and looked down at the sleeping girl. His brows furrowed in a frown. 

"Well, Captain, if this was once one of my people, she isn't anymore. In our sleeping states, we look the way we did at birth. The fact that this girl still looks human tells me that her _leshay_ skills are pretty much gone. And without _leshay_ skills, she would not be considered one of our own. She would be outcast, Captain. I'm sorry, but that it how my people would see it."

Archer gazed at Kelek and then Kesslyn in consternation. If she was born a Dyrallian but might not be considered one of them, what was he going to do with her? How was he supposed to honor his promise to Green if the place he had hoped would accept Kesslyn would have nothing to do with her?


End file.
